


autumn ; discontinued

by deadbeatfreak99



Category: SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Fluff, I'll update the tags later, M/M, background lee jinki/choi minho, photographer kibum, spirit jonghyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-12-13 21:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 12,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21004124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadbeatfreak99/pseuds/deadbeatfreak99
Summary: ❝Just as seasons are born and then fade, life too does the same.❞《In which Autumn brings about new colours which Kibum can't seem to capture with his camera lens.》





	1. W-1, D-1 : 1

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on wattpad 06/09/18  
discontinued 09/09/19
> 
> spotify playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3DJHD470U7b9qXm4Xvf7WU?si=iMVKq3D-R0GD--eoicIMaA
> 
> unedited

The tittering of birds, a mellow whisper of the wind, the steady rushing of the river's current.

The high trees' dark trunks were cloaked in orange leaves, dotted in yellow patches, and standing close to one another in the moist soil, patterned with twigs and weeds.

No disturbance, no taint left by human presence.

Natural beauty in its true essence; that was what Kibum sought to capture through his lens, when he decided to leave his shared city apartment that dawn, and go off alone into the distanced woods.

The breeze danced around him with a delicately sweet smell, cooling his lungs and making him inhale greedily for more, as if it were a drug that sedated his mind and set his soul at peace.

Glancing about, there were so many things he wanted to frame.

The wildlife, the cracks in the bark so intricate and unique, the sun peeking through the shelter of branches above him, that river which was lined by high grass and smoothened pebbles.

He took a step, his booted feet slowly crunching that which was beneath them, and his nimble fingers momentarily tightened around his bulky camera.

For a reason unknown to him, his heart galloped within his chest like a ferocious horse, and the blood in his veins throbbed beneath his skin as if bubbling.

It was exhilarating going were not many went, seeing parts of the woods not many have seen.

Perhaps that was what excited him so much － surrounded by such wonder, and he alone got to experience it.

An uncontrollable grin bared itself upon his lips, hands clutching his precious camera to his chest, and eyelids fluttering shut.

He let his head lull backwards, honey brown hair rubbing against his forehead and a patch of sunlight landing upon his cheek.

It was marvellous, the sensation of being a part of nature, something truly clean and pure. Softly exhaling through his nose, he drowsily peeled open his eyes and faced ahead.

Maybe he should get a shot of the river from where he stood, before moving along.

Propping himself on one knee, he squeezed closed his left eye and held the camera up to his right, giving it a moment to focus on the image he was taking through the high grass that swayed gently.

He snapped the shot and took another, changing his angle.

Stopping, he lowered the machine and pressed a button with a quiet click, his camera roll appearing on the small screen.

A blur, almost like a light flare, stood out on the right edge of the image he was shown. It wasn't all that noticeable, it nearly seemed like a stain near the lowest tree trunk that touched the riverbank.

His perfectly plucked eyebrows creased together, forehead wrinkling in befuddlement.

"The hell?" He murmured beneath his breath, incapable of understanding the odd marking.

He flipped to the following photo, and again the blob was there, but perhaps slightly larger. It didn't look like sunlight and it couldn't even be so, since he had assured that none would be reflected upon his lens.

Itching at the side of his nose, he shifted on the soil into a steadier position, readying himself to take another photo and let the odd occurrence slide, but something around him changed.

He couldn't pin-point the sensation nor from where it came, but he felt it as if it were searing his very skin; a gaze, intense and hot, yet sending an icy tremor down his spine.

He rolled his shoulders.

He had slept on one of the balcony's chairs last night, so maybe he was suffering the initial stages of a cold. That was probably why he was feeling so strange.

Determined to capture the scene, he pressed the button, deciding on taking multiple pictures. With a second's pause, something that could be considered a moment of hesitancy, he opened the camera roll again.

He inhaled sharply through his nostrils, almost instantly losing his balance on his one knee, and subsequently tipping over and falling with a thud on his forearm, but his eyes never left the ones that stared back at him through the camera's screen.

He blinked, and yet those smudges were still there. Unclear, mismatched, but unmistakably a set of irises rimmed with what seemed like eyelashes.

Kibum moved to stand, legs wobbling like those of a new born calf, and mouth blundering a mess of words.

His gaze shot to where the person should be, but fisting at his eyes, he saw nothing aside from the tree, the grass and the river.

A twig cracked.

He gulped.

"Is － Is someone there?"


	2. W-1, D-1 : 2

  
Blood was pounding in his ears but his fingers held the camera without a tremor, eyes fervently looking around.

Kibum had been turned to check behind himself when he had heard a shuffle which made his head snap back to face the running river, still glistening under the rays of the sun.

His throat tightened to the point he couldn't breathe.

Right beside the riverbank stood － should he call it a figure?

Kibum stared long and hard, afraid to even blink, but he couldn't decipher whether or not the figure was even real at all.

It resembled the body of a man, a bit shorter than him and with broad shoulders, a bare chest and bare legs, hair a twinkling white with faint orange streaks, one eye a warm brown whilst the other was a vibrant green, but both lined with thick, long, silver eyelashes; at least from what Kibum could perceive.

Yet the body in itself seemed to fade and reappear constantly, most of the pale skin not showing at all, chunks of its limbs, chest and face being completely translucent, and Kibum wasn't sure if he was going insane or if it was some sort of illusion.

The supposed man stared back, eyes widened briefly in fear, before narrowing ever so slightly as if to warn the intruder to stay away.

Kibum was careful not to make a move, but he strangely, desperately wished for the figure to be more opaque, so he could see the details that completed him as a whole better.

The longer he looked at the other, the more the figure seemed to blur and Kibum found himself saddened by not being able to see the set of eyes as clearly anymore.

"Hello?"

The figure gave a slight jolt, already stepping back.

It happened in a flash, the man vanishing in seconds, sinking into a tree, just as Kibum managed to take a shot with his camera.

His first thought was to run to the trunk in which the figure had disappeared, tapping and nearly pressing his face to it for a closer examination._ It couldn't have been a prank_, he thought to himself.

However, the only other option he had in mind at that moment was a ghost, and the idea didn't particularly entice him.

"Are you going to come out again?" He called into the silence, lifting his head to look around, scanning the greenery.

"No?"

He huffed, abruptly frumpy at the let down.

"Fine then."


	3. W-1, D-1 : 3

  
Kibum wrenched his satchel off his shoulder, tossing it onto the sofa without even looking and kicking the front door shut with his foot.

"Key? Is that you?"

It was Taemin who had called him from within the bathroom before he popped his head out, toothbrush dangling from between his lips and hair a complete, ruffled mess.

The older carelessly waved a hand at him in response, not even sparing him a glance but rather continuing towards his computer desk in full determination.

Taemin, who had been sharing the apartment with him for nearly two years already, blinked once at his friend prior to shrugging and taking his head away from the doorway.

"Everything okay?" Kibum heard the younger casually call, as he hurriedly connected his camera to the laptop with a USB.

"Yes, Taemin-ah," he replied, without a second thought.

"How about you? Going out again tonight?"

He heard the running tap shut off then the clatter of wires, followed by a thud and a couple of swear words, which Kibum presumed to be for the hair straightener the other had dropped.

"Yeah. Wanna join?"

The program lagged as it began opening up all the folders on his camera, and Kibum's leg bounced beneath the desk as he rapped his nails against his thigh.

Eventually, it loaded and the photographer instantly went to the latest shots, hesitating only a moment before clicking on the final one.

Kibum blinked.

Much like the others he had taken of the supposed ghost, there was a luminous orange blur, partially already in the tree trunk but with two lights, which he presumed to be its irises, staring directly into the lens.

He remained focused on the image, comparing it to the first two, and then going back to the last one.

It barely even seemed to have a human shape, but you could almost manage to see a calf and a hand amidst the light.

"Cool! What's that? Some photography technique?"

Kibum leaped into the air, sliding off his spinning chair and landing on his arse with a resounding thump and groan.

Taemin remained unbothered, however, and instead leaned in to look at the picture even closer, eyes wide and mouth round.

"Wah," he said in awe, "Is this an edit? I didn't know you were so good at editing things, hyung!"

The younger finally looked down at Kibum, only to flinch at his scowl and release an awkward laugh.

"Yes, it's edited, now would you say sorry for making me fall?" Kibum grumbled snippily, pushing himself up and back onto his chair.

"You seriously edited it? That's really cool, hyung, I like it. It's pretty," Taemin complimented, fully ignoring the second half of his friend's sentence.

Kibum sighed.

"Thanks."

He looked at the photo another time.

He was going to get a good photo of that ghost if it was the last thing he was going to do.


	4. W-1, D-1 : 4

  
"I'm off then, Key!" Taemin announced, tucking his phone into his back pocket as he strode out of the kitchen.

"Bye," Kibum mumbled into his hand, eyes strained on his computer's screen.

"Have fun being a loner!"

"Have fun being a brat," he retorted, "and don't get so piss drunk that I have to stay up to take care of you again."

Taemin pouted as he huffed, arranging the collar of his leather jacket.

"It was two times, hyung!"

"Four."

"Fine, four. Now bye!" The younger sang, waving as he was already half way out the door.

Upon the sound of the lock, Kibum heaved out a sigh of relief.

He turned his focus back to his laptop, numerous tabs open, and just as many new assumptions in his mind on what he had seen that day had been.

The most common answer at first was ghosts, but whilst furthering his research he found fairies and sprites, pixies and elves, and spirits.

Now, Kibum had always appreciated the more rational and scientific side of things, so initially he had had a good laugh at the suggestions that kept popping up on the search page, but it gradually died down.

After all, it had to be something supernatural, right?

He had excluded on his own, both from lack of correlation and lack of his own belief, the options of pixies and elves and heavily doubted the whole 'fairy' idea, but the ghost would make sense and perhaps even the spirit one.

The figure was mostly translucent, could pass through solid objects and also resembled a person. Thus, it reminded Kibum of a ghost or spirit.

Then again, the figure also had unnatural white sparkling hair and silver eyelashes that seemed to glitter, which weren't human-like at all, so he connected it to a fairy.

To Kibum, all three made sense.

He came across countless stories of people who claimed to be witnesses to such sightings, as well.

Some seemed far too fabricated, and some sent a chill of fear and excitement down his spine.

He would go again after the wedding photoshoot he would have to do tomorrow afternoon.

Kibum hadn't realised the hours passing until his eyes burned from the light and the room around him had turned fully dark.

Now having his ideas just slightly clearer, he anticipated the next day and hoped to see the ghost, slash spirit, slash fairy, again.


	5. W-1, D-2 : 1

  
Kibum had rushed away from work after having briefly exchanged his congratulations and good wishes to the bride and groom, tripping and knocking into everything on his way out.

"Watch it! That light is expensive!"

"Right. Sorry," he called over his shoulder, just barely saving his foot from getting caught on the wire that crossed the floor.

He was rushing for no reason, he knew, but it would take a few hours to reach the forest and he didn't want to get stuck there in the middle of the night, for tens of reasons.

Throughout the whole drive, he had had his car radio on loud, attempting to ease the excitement he felt, so when he finally slid into his same parking spot from the day before and turned it off, the abrupt silence made him hold his breath.

He was going to see the ghost, slash fairy, possibly slash spirit, again.

Reaching to the adjacent front seat, he picked up his maroon leather satchel and put the strap over his head and on his shoulder, prior to taking hold of his camera and ensuring that his phone was in his back pocket.

Deciding he was ready, he got out of the car and locked it, huffing as he turned to look at the array of towering trees before him.

"Ghost-fairy-spirit dude, here I come."

With a huff, he began his march into the wilderness, bulky sneakers being coated brown with soil and high grass brushing against his thighs, thorns occasionally prickling at his skin, the further he got into the woods.

He felt the need to scold himself for never using the more commonly used paths, and therefore having to make his way through the unyielding defences of nature that almost seemed to be trying to keep him out of the woodlands heart.

Kibum's thoughts drifted to the occurrences of the previous day and he felt his throat constrict.

He hoped with every fibre of his being that, despite the miniscule fear he held hidden, the figure would appear to him again that day.

When he reached the ever flowing river, slightly winded and relieved to have found it with not much hassle, his eyes were quick to scan his surroundings.

His sight bounced from leaves to between branches, high and low, through the bushes and even peering into the river where the fish swam silently.

Nothing. There was nothing, and it caused his features to contort into a frown.

"Hey," he spoke, out into the air, not caring of how he may have appeared to an onlooker.

"Are you not going to show yourself today?"

Perhaps the irritation in his voice was too evident. Maybe he was being too pushy.

Kibum sighed as he rested his forearm against the same trunk the figure had disappeared into just a day ago.

The want to see the mysterious being was growing within him, fed by his roaring curiousity and need to understand everything around him.

He left only hours later, defeated, when the sun had commenced its descent and so tinted the foliage a soft hue which promised an approaching darkness, with dozens of new photographs, but none of what he had truly wanted to capture.


	6. W-1, D-2 : 2

  
Arriving at the apartment that night, he found it empty.

Taemin's clothes were scattered about everywhere in disarray, a half eaten sandwich was left abandoned on the table with a fly sitting on it undisturbed, and the smell of the younger's cologne lingered in the air.

"Is he some damn kid?" Kibum complained, upon seeing the mess which had been created.

Deciding on making himself a nice cup of tea, he set down his camera and satchel, then proceeding to the fridge and taking out a carton of milk.

It was when he closed it that he saw a small scribbled note, stuck on with a ladybird magnet.

Snatching it off the metal, his eyebrows drew together as he attempted to make out the sloppy hangul.

_Keykey-hyung~ I've borrowed your denim jacket (the one with the holes and stuff) and one of your caps! Hope you don't mind ^^ Thanks a lot hyung who I love dearly!!~ ♡♡♡_

  
Kibum cussed and crumpled the paper, before tossing it into the bin beneath the sink.

"That brat," he grumbled, moving towards the stove and swiftly preparing his hot water and mug, with a tea bag inside.

"I swear, if he rips my new jacket, I'll let Jinki tap dance on his stupid face."

Minutes later, with his steaming mug in hand, he settled into his swivel chair and turned on his computer, connecting his camera to it.

His plan was to distract himself with work, and yet scrolling through the pictures he had taken that day, he could only think of the figure which appeared before him in the same area.

Was it just a mirage due to lack of sleep?

In the end, he never got a cold, so the only plausible explanation was that he had been drowsy enough to conjure up this unknown silhouette.

Yet the pictures, he reminded himself, were actual, _physical_ proof of _something_ being there.

He would go back tomorrow. He would go and see this figure and maybe try communicate with it.

Kibum realised he should feel fear, but the unknown never spooked him, unlike many others.

He just had to find out more.


	7. W-1, D-3 : 1

Kibum ended up leaving for the forest at half five, allowing him to arrive by almost quater to seven, and just to make the situation better, a light drizzle had begun to fall.

Narrowing his fox-like eyes, he stubbornly put his camera into its case and hung the strap around his neck, choosing to leave his satchel behind, prior to getting out of the car and locking it.

Rain or not, he didn't drive all the way there for nothing.

Fortunately, he had worn a hoodie beneath his black jacket and so he tugged it over his brown locks, going into the forest with no second thoughts.

Kibum recalled the path he needed to take perfectly, and in no less than twenty minutes of walking, he could spot the river.

It was noisy around him.

The sound of rain drops hitting hard against the large tree leaves and splashing into the river was enough to mute out any other, leaving Kibum to focus on using his other four senses instead.

The foliage permitted him to not get soaked through completely, for which he was grateful as he began looking about, peering both left and right, around trunks and over bushes.

"Hello?" He called out over the rain, eyes squinted in search.

A chilling sensation surged through his every vein and along his vertebrae, a sensation which felt familiar.

Exhaling from his mouth, fog appeared from between his lips and he couldn't help but notice that a few sun rays were still weakly peeking through the shelter of trees.

"Why are you here?"

Kibum lurched forward at the voice which spoke directly into his right ear, saving himself from a face full of soil by outstretching his palms.

He could have sworn he felt a cold breath fanning against his skin.

Snapping his head around there was nothing; no one there.

He was _not_ afraid.

"Where are you?" He called out again, fervently looking around.

"Stop hiding from me," Kibum demanded, adding a strained _please,_ at the end.

A handful of seconds passed before he blinked and in front of him appeared the figure, strangely luminous yet less translucent than the last time he had seen him.

Two mismatched irises stared down at him, glistening and unblinking, holding contact with the photographer's eyes almost stubbornly.

"Why are you here?" The figure questioned, in an attempt of a stern voice, yet his words did not startle Kibum in any way.

His initial shock was quick to fade and Kibum shifted onto his knees, slightly irritated by the fact that they had become muddy, and pushed himself off the ground to stand face to. . . face? － with the figure.

He couldn't deny that it pleased him for some reason to be taller than the other, and a faint smile pulled at his lips.

"Don't make me repeat myself, human," The man said threateningly, stretching himself to appear as bigger.

Kibum could have almost snorted, uncaring about the fact that he stood before a supernatural being he had yet no knowledge of.

Deciding to humour the form which resembled more of an angry puppy than anything else, he raised his hands in surrender and took a step back.

"I came here for work, but today I'm here for you."

He saw no reason to not be fully honest and it became amusing to see the figure's eyes narrowing and his head tilting in bafflement.

"What work do you do? Why would you come for me?"

The set of － what looked almost like floating eyes － enlarged all of a sudden, and a breeze blew at the few, white strands of hair, Kibum could see.

"I won't let you bring harm to this land!"

The abrupt exclamation briefly surprised Kibum who rose a brow.

"I'm not here to bring any harm," he informed, lifting his camera in one of his hands.

"I'm a photographer. I came to take pictures."

The patches which were opaque, shifted on the figure's body, and now he could see the other's sharp cheekbones and the centre of his lips, the tips of his round ears and his milky white shoulders.

The see-through man pulled his silvery eyebrows together, evidently refusing to let his guard down.

"Pictures?" He questioned, dubious.

The eyes flickered to the camera and back up to Kibum.

"Is that a weapon?"

Key sighed and shook his head.

The rain had begun to die down and, deeming it no longer damaging to take his camera out of the case, he unzipped it and jostled it in his grip.

"This," he emphasized, by pointing at the machine, despite the movement having caused the being to back away, "is my camera, which I use to take pictures."

There came a pregnant pause and the figure blinked as he let his gaze drift to the machine in wonder.

"Pictures?"

Kibum smiled at the softer tone of voice the man now spoke in.

"Pictures," he parroted, nodding beneath his hood.


	8. W-1, D-3 : 2

  
"But what are these pictures? What do you need them for?"

Kibum noted that just like his appearance, even the figure's words seemed to fade and rise, uneven in sound.

It was a voice which could be described as whispy, like the delicate ring of a wind chime, yet oddly deeper at times.

The twenty-five-year-old realised that he had yet to discover just what exactly the other was, and gave a shrug.

"My turn to ask questions," he announced, taking pleasure in the latter's astounded expression.

"We're taking turns?"

"Yup."

"Uh, okay, I guess."

Kibum tucked his camera back into its case and zipped it up, under the intense gaze of the man who followed the entire process with interest.

"So then," he began, excitement already dripping from his words.

"Are you like, a ghost or something?"

The man's face soured, his full lips which shimmered a rose gold, slipping into a pout, almost as if he had been gravely offended.

"I'm not a ghost! I'm the protector of this part of the forest and its creatures."

Kibum nodded, trying to process the idea that he was currently talking to some nature protector or something.

"Oh, okay. So you're a sort of forest fairy?"

The white shoulders sagged and Key hummed, pushing for an answer.

". . . Would you like me to say yes?"

"Well, that would make things easier."

"Then yeah, I'm a fairy."

Kibum clasped his hands together with a clap, which ended up startling the shorter.

It seemed the guy was more easily frightened than he was, and such reactions entertained Key further.

"Awesome!" He had cheered with a smile.

"I always thought fairies had wings and flew about, and were super small and all that," he rambled, setting his hands on his hips which he had jutted to the right.

"Then again, you're quite the shorty, huh?"

He received a scowl at the comment and a chuckle left him, without his consent.

"Ah, I'm kidding," he waved off, "Don't take it to heart."

He paused.

"Wait, do you have a heart?"

Another scowl, in response to which he sighed.

"Sorry sorry," he airily apologised, already extending his right hand, a grin on his lips.

"My name's Kibum, by the way. Though loads choose to call me Key."

The shorter's diverse eyes shifted between Kibum's face and his inviting palm, curiousity clouding his mind as he, still tentatively, rose his own and let it meet with the human's.

Warm. Soft.

Cold. Fragile.

The touch felt different to the both of them, but equally thrilling.

"Kibum," the supernatural being whispered, staring at their united hands.

"My name is," he hesitated, as if to think about his reply.

"Jonghyun. My name is Jonghyun."


	9. W-1, D-3 : 3

"You mean it actually captures that which we see and keeps it forever, as if it's frozen in time?"

Kibum nodded with a proud grin at the utterly marvelled expression of the spirit － as he settled on calling him － keeping a close watch as the man held one of his most prized possessions.

Jonghyun's occasionally translucent hands clutched the machine delicately, his finger tips softly tracing its edges and around the lens.

The bad weather had completely passed by then, and the darkness around them had already begun to make itself known, yet Kibum chose to ignore it.

He had sat on the riverbank beside Jonghyun, despite the fact that he felt his jeans almost instantly turn humid, and eventually damp, by the moist soil.

How could he turn down the opportunity to talk to a supernatural being? It would be almost scandalous of him, he was sure.

A whole minute passed in silence, Kibum continuing to watch as Jonghyun remained fascinated by the bulky camera, clearly tempted to push some buttons but politely restraining himself.

"I can show you how to use it, if you want."

Key shocked himself with his own words for he didn't let simply anyone use his camera but then, in that moment, with this strange spirit being so intrigued by a common device he used daily, he felt the need to make an exception.

Jonghyun's eyes seemed to glitter more than before as they snapped up to meet Kibum's.

"Would you really?" He had asked, words uneven but excitement clearly in them.

"It doesn't hurt, right?"

Kibum couldn't retain his chuckle, and he reached out to gently take the camera out of the other's grasp and turn it on.

"Of course not," he replied, shaking his head.

Holding the machine up to his eye, a hand wrapped under the belly of the protruding lens and a finger positioned on the upper-right button, he called out a quick, "Smile!" and then there came a small flash.

Jonghyun's confusion instantly faded when he realised it was already done, and he shuffled closer to the photographer, waiting for the next step.

Opening up the photo, Kibum was disappointed to see that he had forgotten a vital fact; cameras weren't capable of capturing Jonghyun in a shot.

As such, all that was visible were a set of eyes, the top left of his chest and one of his ears.

Kibum sighed.

"Is something wrong?"

"See, well. . ."

He scratched at his neck, reluctant to let his new friend's expectations down.

"Since you're not exactly human, for some scientific reason or whatever, you don't really show much in the picture. The most see-through parts of you don't show at all, in fact."

Jonghyun blinked, and it took only a brief moment for him to process the news prior to giving a nod of understanding and a quiet hum.

"That's fine," he said coolly, arranging himself better abreast the taller.

"Can I see it anyway?"

Kibum was a bit thrown back by the reaction but chose to act casual and simply tilt the camera's screen towards the spirit.

"Wow," came the impressed word from Jonghyun's parted lips.

"It really made a precise replica of the background," he noted, ignoring the fragments he could see of himself at the centre.

"Look at the leaves!"

A content smile pulled at Key's mouth. He was glad that the other wasn't too disappointed.

"Hey, Kibum, could I take a picture of you too?"

The question was strange to him, but no more than being casually addressed with his full first name from someone other than Taemin.

"Calling me Key is enough, Jonghyun," he smiled, enjoying not having to use honorifics, "and sure, knock yourself out."

Eagerly, a pair of icy hands took hold of the device and Kibum watched as Jonghyun attempted mimicking his exact pose, repositioning his fingers around the camera.

All the while, he could faintly hear the other's incoherent mumbling as he did his best to figure the mechanism out.

"I need to press this button over here?" He abruptly asked amidst his murmurs, a finger pointing at the button in question.

"Yeah."

Jonghyun nodded and proceeded to perfect his grip, then lift the camera to his right eye.

"Smile!" He exclaimed, following it with a click.

Kibum did as told automatically, careful to keep his eyes open.

"I think I managed!"

He lowered the camera and waited as Key reached over to open up the gallery for him, and his smile widened as soon as the first photo he had ever taken, popped up on the screen.

"Amazing!" He exclaimed giddily.

"It's a bit dark, but I can still see every eyelash and strand of hair of yours in the picture! Technology has really improved, huh?"

Kibum's thick eyebrows rose but his smile didn't fade.

"Improved?" He questioned, catching the other's attention.

"Does that mean you know of older technology? I mean, do you like, know what there is － was, outside of this forest and in the rest of the world?"


	10. W-1, D-3 : 4

  
The spirit's smile turned sombre, eyelashes fluttering until they briefly closed completely, only to reopen and look towards the moonlight's reflection on the running river.

Key hesitantly watched as Jonghyun continued to remain silent, the edges of his lips still upturned and his legs stretching out until his heels were being lapped at by the water.

"I've lived for a long time, Kibum," he finally spoke, voice sounding distant.

Key let out a hum, not sure of what to say in response but incapable of looking away from the other.

He could see the trees through his shoulders, the branches through his cheeks, his camera through his hands.

It looked as if Jonghyun were in a constant state of fading and being reborn.

"Since I've lived for so long," the spirit continued, snapping Kibum out of his trance, "I've actually befriended a few humans before you, but it's been around fifteen years since I've last interacted with someone."

It was then that Jonghyun turned and his glowing eyes met Key's, the contact causing the photographer's breath to hitch.

"I － I see," he murmured.

He wasn't certain why he thought such a thing, but it felt as if the slightest of noises would break the tranquillity of the forest and then － and then he found himself wishing to have been the first human for Jonghyun to have met.

A foolish wish, maybe even selfish.

All the while he pondered, a set of differently coloured eyes watched him, twinkling in wonder as Kibum's expression became aloof.

"You know, it's getting quite dark," he spoke up, just as quietly as the other had been talking.

"Humans can't see well in the dark, if I remember correctly. Would you like me to guide you back?"

"Huh?"

The male finally blinked and glanced around himself, realising that the moon had steadily risen and blackness was setting over them.

"You're right," Kibum nodded, looking back at the smiling spirit.

"I wouldn't mind you helping out of here, actually. If it's not a problem for you."

Jonghyun beamed, a grin that, even if only partially shown, made Key want to photograph the former again.

"Of course it's not a problem! Here, I forgot I'm still holding your. . ."

"Camera," Kibum finished for him with a chuckle, taking hold of the machine and tucking it back into its case around his neck.

"Oh, an idea!"

"An idea?"

Kibum fervently bobbed his head in response.

"I have an idea," he stated again.

"I'll come by again soon and bring you some other techy things you might not have seen yet. How does that sound?"

Jonghyun's puppy-like eyes rounded, his vibrant green iris flickering like grass in the sun, and his golden brown one resembling the colour of a tree's leaves in autumn.

"I would love that! Would you really bring me things?"

Kibum began pushing himself off of the ground and patting his trousers, to rid them as much as possible of soil, but Jonghyun only tilted his head upwards to keep his gaze on him.

"Sure," Key agreed with a shrug.

"Maybe I can even bring you some clothes too, since you're in your birthday suit."

The supernatural being's head tilted, a few white strands of hair coming into view just above his eyes.

"Birthday suit?" He questioned, then beginning to stand up himself.

"Yeah. You're naked, dude."

Jonghyun's reaction was one of embarrassment, as if the idea never really crossed his mind, and suddenly it appeared he was trying to hide his body.

The taller gave a soft snort at the weak attempt.

"Don't worry, you're just fine," he assured, making Jonghyun look at him again.

"I can bring some for you though, really."

Giving a meek nod, the male agreed and proceeded to lead the way.


	11. W-1, D-6

  
What can be considered realistic and what can't? Where does someone draw the metaphorical line which divides the two?

A full three days came to pass before Kibum had the free time to stay mulling over such questions, let alone running off to the forest to meet with his spirit-friend.

He did briefly wonder though, if perhaps he was taking the situation far too lightly.

Would anyone else have reacted so nonchalantly to the discovery of a supernatural being － a fairy, he reminded himself － by some river in the woods?

Maybe someone with sense would report such news to the tabloids or the police, yet Kibum didn't want to imagine what would happen then.

Chaos, definitely, and he preferred to not ruin such an occasion or endanger Jonghyun's safety.

Work had seemed busier than usual after his late return a few nights ago, and Taemin wouldn't let him deny every offer of going out, so nights were long.

Tiring. The younger male was tiring.

Taemin was a weird one sometimes, only a couple of years younger than him but with so much more energy, and Kibum wondered if it had anything to do with all the banana milk he drank or ants he ate as a kid.

Probably both.

It was nearly one in the morning and the male lay in his bed, camera held above his face as he stared at the last picture he had taken of the fairy.

The image was magical, glittering and deceptive, but there was something unsettling about seeing only parts of limbs and a body.

Jonghyun's eyes though, didn't bring on any unease.

He felt the camera was incapable of doing the wonder of the creature's eyes any justice, because all it captured were fragments of the irises and lashes, glimpses of the light within them.

Seeing them directly, however, was very different.

It seemed they held years of living and wariness, but a child-like curiousity and intrigue.

His eyes had the ability to suck one into their extensive universe of colours and emotions, a wild ride of sensations before one blinks and the link breaks, only to start again.

Kibum had to pick something to bring with him on his next trip to show to the spirit, and also decide on an outfit to give him which wouldn't be too large on his smaller body.

He huffed as he switched the camera off and placed it on his nightstand, the absence of his friend allowing the apartment to be utterly silent.

Kibum frowned thoughtfully at the ceiling, mentally scouring through his wardrobe.

"Fairies are petite."


	12. W-1, D-7 : 1

  
One foot at a time, Kibum sank deeper into the woods, sneakers still stained with soil from his previous ventures and a small rucksack hung low on his back, instead of his usual over-the-shoulder satchel.

He wondered if his cellphone was cool enough to show the spirit, but he had a limited selection of gadgets to choose from, and putting at risk his laptop was a no-go.

What if the clothes he'd brought Jonghyun didn't fit him?

Maybe the other wouldn't even like what he got and put it on simply out of good manners.

Kibum never tended to worry over things too much as he was more the type to try his best and accept any mistakes or eventualities, but it seemed that he was a little off lately.

He couldn't help but think about the _what if_'s and it was irritating him beyond belief.

Finally reaching the river, the warmth of the sun kissed his cheeks and filtered through his lashes, momentarily blinding him from seeing his surroundings.

"Kibum, you came!"

Jonghyun's excited voice made the wrinkles around Key's squinting eyes melt away, as he turned to look in the supernatural being's direction, body like a glittering waterfall, with traces of muscle and flesh.

"Of course I came, Jonghyun," He nonchalantly replied － despite feeling a flicker of happiness in his chest － slipping the pair of straps off his shoulders as to gently set his bag against a tree trunk.

Jonghyun practically pranced towards him with what seemed like a wide smile pulling at his lips, his eyes as round and shiny as ever.

Wondering, Kibum looked the spirit up and down from head to toe, as the shorter came to stand before him, gaze tracing over the shapes and outlines which were visible in his form.

His lips pursed as he estimated his clothing size, while Jonghyun watched his expression in bewilderment.

"Key?" He said, causing the human's eyes to snap up.

"Is something wrong?"

Kibum shook his head, the waved strands of hair he had parted at the centre of his forehead, brushing at his eyebrows.

He was already kneeling down when he responded, bag unzipped and hands fishing about in it.

"No no," he denied, just as he took out the items he had been rummaging for.

Grinning, he looked up at the inquisitive Jonghyun who studied from afar the clothing being offered to him.

"I don't know if you have a certain style you like and if they'll even fit you, but fingers crossed, I guess," He clarified, eager to see the other's reaction when picking up the sweater he had placed atop the pile.

Jonghyun's fingers appeared to just barely grasp the material tight enough to not drop it, as he held it by the shoulders, in line with his vision.

It was soft and thick against his skin, a creamy white with a high neck and plait patterns down the sleeves.

"Well?" Kibum pressed, expectant and honestly, a tad nervous.

Jonghyun looked at the photographer with glazed eyes and a faint smile of his own on his mouth.

"Thank you," he began, voice quiet as he moved to clutch the sweater to his chest.

"Would you － Would you please help me put it on?"

Kibum didn't have to be asked twice as he tossed the trousers he was holding onto his rucksack and sprang up from his low position, taking hold of the bottom part of the sweater.

"Arms up, you big baby."

Jonghyun showed no offence at the nickname, seeing as how Key had spoken with a gentleness in his tone that only made him feel a sense of warmth.

Instead, doing as told, the spirit hesitantly lifted his hands until they barely passed his head, and Key adjusted his grasp prior to taking a step closer, and beginning to slip the former's arms into the sweater.

He decided to ignore the miniscule flinch Jonghyun gave at their minimised proximity, and attempted a comforting smile, which seemingly eased the shorter's tension.

Perhaps it was because he had never stood so close to Jonghyun before but he appeared less translucent than the last time, as if more of his skin and shapes of his body could be seen.

Kibum kept tugging the sweater lower, arms almost all in and half of the other's face hidden in the material.

The spirit let out a giggle which sounded muffled through the knitting, and Key's gaze dropped to the smiling lips he had never seen so full of colour.

A bright mix of pink and red, sparkling like the rest of Jonghyun's figure but so full and expressive.

Key smiled.

Giving the final few tugs, the sweater was finally down all the way and Kibum took a step back, as Jonghyun stretched his arms out in front of him to admire the sleeves that just nearly surpassed his knuckles.

It was him to speak up first, doe eyes glimmering contentedly and his silvery white hair － that which Kibum could see of it － sitting ruffled atop his head and against his forehead.

"I love this," Jonghyun exclaimed giddily, wrapping his arms around his chest.

"It feels like I'm being cuddled!"


	13. W-1, D-7 : 2

  
Kibum believed the most apt word to describe the scene was adorable. A simple, commonly spoken term that he rarely used sincerely, but couldn't help thinking of when seeing Jonghyun excited over his new sweater.

"It suits you," he offered as a compliment, bending to pick up the dark blue wash jeans, as to avoid making the other uncomfortable under his stare.

"Thanks," Jonghyun murmured, suddenly timid, taking hold of the pants and beginning to unbutton the waist.

He paused for a brief moment as if to debate how to go about it and then lifted a leg, attempting to slide it into the left hole until his balance wavered enough for him to nearly topple over.

Kibum chuckled at the shorter's pout and reached a hand out to stop him from stubbornly trying again.

"Just hold onto my shoulder."

The amusement in his voice was clear but Jonghyun only nodded and proceeded to set a palm upon Key, grasp secure. A chill that the human could feel through his parka and sweatshirt, made his eyes briefly glance at their place of contact, expression blank.

The temperature was a miniscule reminder that the situation he was in was far from normal, that the person he had met in the forest wasn't exactly living.

Kibum struggled to push the thought away.

"I'm done!"

Ripped away from his inner confusion, Key refocused his gaze on Jonghyun to find that he was no longer holding onto him, but rather standing a step or two away, now dressed in the photographer's old clothes.

He remained staring for what felt like the shortest while, yet Jonghyun's brow eventually slightly creased as he leaned in closer, inquisitive.

"Do they not look alright on me?"

The spirit's wafting voice held a lilt of worry to it that made a small bubble of guilt pop within Kibum's chest.

The taller put a hand to his chin and, to Jonghyun's confusion, gently spun the other around as if to study his outfit as a whole.

"As I thought," he began, when the spirit was facing him once more, eyes wide and curious, "since you're quite tiny, the jeans are a few inches too long."

At the statement, Jonghyun instantly looked down at his ankles around which the pants bunched up, and he tried hoisting the material higher from around his hips.

Key automatically smiled at the action and poked the spirit's chest as to attract his attention, grinning even wider when they met each other's gaze.

"Don't worry, it's totally in fashion this season and you look really great anyway."

An expression of happiness took over Jonghyun's ever fading and reappearing face, prior to him glancing back down at himself with pride and running his palms over the knit he wore on his torso.

"You think so?" He asked, lifting his head again.

Kibum found himself dumbly nodding a moment in delay, abruptly captivated by the set of bi coloured eyes which stared back at him, irises more vibrant than he remembered.

"You look like a model, seriously."

Jonghyun let out a delicate peel of laughter that seemed to be partially carried off by the feeble wind.

"Thanks, Key! Do you think I look human?"

The taller became immobile and hesitated, uncertain of what to say.

Afraid of messing up, he chose to avoid giving a direct response and let out a sole hum in place of words, unzipping his camera from the case he had hung around his neck.

"Let me take a picture of you."

Kibum couldn't pinpoint it but there was a strange tension which suddenly lingered in the air between them, Jonghyun's gaze flitting to the ground and then back up.

"Sure, I would like that."


	14. W-1, D-7 : 3

  
They were sitting by the riverbank then, Jonghyun's hands between his knees and Kibum leaning back on his palms, which pressed into the damp grass as he watched the subtle movement of the leaves above him.

A silence filled with the blissful sound of flowing water and chirping birds had overcome them, but it didn't feel awkward, sitting wordlessly abreast each other.

The tranquility brought back to memory the first day of what had been a crazy week for Kibum, just before he had met the supernatural being and realised that there was still so much he didn't know about the world he had been living in for the past twenty-five years of his life.

A sudden breeze rushed past them, softly ruffling his parted bangs and causing a shiver to run along his limbs.

He shifted his gaze towards Jonghyun who stared dazedly at the running river, bare feet occasionally being lapped at by the icy water.

"Don't you feel cold?" Key found himself asking, noticing how the other didn't appear affected at all by the gradually dropping temperature.

"Huh? Not really," Jonghyun answered distractedly, not taking his sight off of the reflective water.

The photographer nodded, swallowing thickly as he too attempted to bring his gaze back to that which was in front of him, however, he found his eyes sneaking back to his right to continue looking at the spirit.

Now, the silence felt a tad strange and Kibum didn't like it.

Sighing, he drew his feet in and crossed his legs, leaning forward to rest his elbows upon the inside part of his knees and letting his hands fiddle with a few shards of grass.

"Jonghyun, last time you told me that you've met other people before －"

The shorter stiffened, but otherwise didn't show any other signs of him even listening.

"I was wondering what they were like," the photographer went on to finish, unaware of the discomfort the other was subtly displaying.

"Were there lots of them? Did you meet them all the way you met me?"

It was then that Key finally looked to Jonghyun and his heart jumped within his ribcage at finding the spirit's round eyes already fixated upon his own, intense and unreadable － frigid, in a way.

He was shocked at his incapability to breathe, captivated but oddly frightened by the expression in Jonghyun's generally warm gaze, which he now felt gnawing at his very soul.

There was a moment of nothing being said, Kibum's breathing yet having to recommence, and neither of them blinking.

"They were all nice people but," Jonghyun paused and broke the eye contact they had held to let out a sigh, and lift his head towards the sky that could be seen through the foliage.

"I don't remember much of them anymore. It's been a long time."

Key shuddered an inhale, his hands shaking. Why were they shaking?

"I under－ I understand."

"For some reason, my chest hurts when I think about them."

Jonghyun's head turned back to look at Kibum.

The man noted the hand the other had placed upon his left pectoral muscle, strongly squeezing the flesh beneath the knitted sweater.

Kibum met his eyes again.

"My chest is hurting."

He offered a smile and hesitantly set his palm upon the centre of Jonghyun's back, gently rubbing it in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

"Want to see my phone?" Key abruptly offered, "I'll let you play with it as much as you want."

"Your phone?" Jonghyun inquired, curiousity already piqued.

"Yeah, it's a tech thing," Kibum explained, relieved to feel the mood already begin to lighten.

At the response, Jonghyun's face instantly grew bright and he nodded, excitedly watching as Key chuckled and reached into his rucksack, pulling out the device.


	15. W-2, D-1

_'My chest hurts.'_

"Hyung, hurry up and bring the snacks!" Taemin whined from his stretched out position on their couch, skipping through multiple channels in search of the right one.

Kibum huffed and rolled his eyes, picking up their heated ramyon cups and chopsticks before striding over to the seating area, plopping himself down onto the only free spot.

"Take it, Tae-yah."

Blindly snatching one of them, the younger blurted out a quick thanks and set the remote control down, to split his chopsticks apart and peel the lid off of his cup.

"Ah, it smells as good as always," Taemin hummed, after having shoved his nose dangerously deep into the carton to inhale the aroma which wafted out.

"You've got broth on your nose now, you dimwit."

Taemin's eyes crossed as his natural reaction was to first attempt seeing if Key was lying or not, causing the older to squint and wrinkle his brow.

"I'm serious," He affirmed, irritated and scooting further into the sofa.

After a brief pause, the younger finally hurried to wipe the liquid off on his forearm, still ignoring his roommate's look of distaste.

"Shit. It's starting, it's starting!" Taemin then exclaimed in panic, as soon as the current advert ended.

Kibum calmly opened his meal whilst the recap of last week's episode played, the volume now nearly excessively loud and the rest of the room, dark.

He was eager to watch the continuation － he had always looked forward to their Monday nights spent in front of the television, yet he could tell that his excitement had been dimmed.

Watching dramas was probably one of the very few things he and Taemin both enjoyed doing together as they loved over-reacting at the smallest of things and yelling at the screen, but he found himself rather disconnected and unwilling to participate.

_'My chest hurts.'_

The odd behaviour Jonghyun had displayed the night before remained captured within Key's mind, those dead eyes being imprinted in his memory.

Why did his questions provoke such a reaction? Should he not ask about his past, no matter how curious he was?

"Oh my gosh, Key, look at his suit," Taemin groaned, aggressively pointing at the male actor in concern with his chopsticks.

"If I could marry clothes, I would marry that damn outfit."

Kibum hummed as he nodded, only half-listening and slurping up a mouthful of noodles between puckered lips.

The younger turned to him with a frown when he noticed the lack of interest from the other's part.

"What's wrong with you tonight? Don't you like it too?"

"Course I do," Key mumbled, shifting in his seat and fixing his eyes upon the screen, as to avoid meeting Taemin's stare.

"Then why are you being so quiet?" He pressed, proceeding to finish up the last bit of his ramyon.

At his question being ignored, the younger placed his cup down on the coffee table and drew his eyebrows even closer together.

"You're being weird again," he stated, now completely disregarding the show he was so into, just minutes before.

"What's going on with you?"

"Nothing."

"Hyung, tell me!" Taemin cried, repeatedly shoving at Kibum's shoulder with his open palms.

His skin was warm.

His touch was warm, as the touch of a living human being _should_ be.

Key heaved a heavy breath and filled his mouth once more.

"It's nothing, you brat," he snapped through his food, the words losing their edge as they were muffled.

Taemin blinked and within a second he threw himself down onto Kibum's lap, just marginally avoiding the noodle cup the elder securely held in his hands.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!" He chanted, turning to lie on his back as to look up at his roommate with a scowl and pursed lips.

Key sighed, tired of the pestering and stubbornness; two fundamental traits that the other had and would never let anyone forget.

"You're such a fucking kid, I swear. Get off."

Hearing his words, Taemin gave a weak punch to his knee and crossed his arms over his chest in protest.

"You're not telling, I'm not moving."

They briefly held one another's stare, waiting to see if either would back down from this little battle and admit defeat.

"Do what you want," Key eventually shrugged nonchalantly, deciding to focus on the drama instead.

Taemin let out an irritated sound and proceeded to do the same, however, not moving from the older's lap.

The show did nothing to hold Kibum's attention for long though, as he soon found himself simply staring, not processing anything which was being displayed or said.

The spirit kept filling his thoughts. Jonghyun kept appearing in his head and he couldn't fight it.

His pondering over the being's unusual behaviour soon morphed into recalling his happiness when he had been putting on clothes for, probably, the first time; and then the sight of his intrigued face when exploring Kibum's phone, opening every one of his applications, playing some of his games and going through his vast array of music.

Unbeknownst to him, his lips had lifted into a fond smile and he took another bite from his noodles.

He wanted to see Jonghyun enjoy himself again, just like the day before.


	16. W-2, D-3

Kibum had an idea.

He was one of the last few crew members still on set, eyes stinging after being exposed to strong lighting for so long and ears blurring out the ruckus going on around him, but he had had an idea.

The satchel sat open mouthed with one of his books poking out upon the foldable table, directly beneath Key's line of vision and yet completely ignored due to the formation of a thought.

Wouldn't Jonghyun be happy if he could have a normal photograph of himself?

Jonghyun's inhuman state forbade him from fully appearing on camera, but what if every time Key visited, he took a frontal shot of him and, eventually having enough, layer them atop one another, each filling in a blank space to finally come together as a sole and complete picture?

Kind of like a puzzle. It should work.

"Kibum-ssi!"

The twenty-five-year-old's head snapped up at the sound of his name being called, realising he had been staring at the set's blue themed props for a while now, and quickly attempted to appear fully focused.

"Yes, sir?"

Key acted as if he had never frozen mid-way of packing up, as the model's manager approached him, only slightly taller but clearly just as physically drained.

"What did you think of my client's work today?" He asked, with a hint of worry in his hoarse voice, nimble hands clasped together at his front.

"She's still new to the scene but she did well, didn't she?"

Hearing the posed question, Kibum glanced up at the man from the corner of his eyes and through his lashes.

The manager's ears were dipped red and his fingers constantly fidgeted.

_'Oh, they're either dating or he likes her,'_ He realised, huffing out something akin to a laugh, almost inaudible.

"She did well enough, though I would suggest you tell her to practice her facial expressions and to lessen the stiffness in her poses," he went on to say, stuffing one of his rolled up wires into the satchel.

The other fervently nodded, nose slightly scrunching between his eyes as he mulled over the words of advice.

"Obviously, she'll get better the more shoots she does so don't let her feel too pressured, 'kay?"

"O-of course! Thank you for the help, Kibum-ssi."

And with a deep bow, no time for Key to even reply, the manager practically scurried off back to the young girl's side, giving her an excited thumbs up.

Kibum watched their interaction, amused. They reminded him of two teens in love and were both obviously rookies in this side of the market. The couple seemed positive and eager to work, factors which made them endearing in Key's eyes.

Observing them from a distance made him recall when he was still a newbie in photography, messing up and bowing his head at everyone, unwilling to fight or stand up for himself.

He wouldn't say he missed such times, as now he knew to have dignity when operating in his workspace and people had come to respect him, but thinking back at those years brought on a sense of nostalgia.

Kibum loved photography and adored capturing anything he found to provoke emotion or effect within him.

Such reasons were also the cause of Kibum wanting to photograph Jonghyun so desperately.

It was similar to an attraction, in a sense. He simply had to capture the unique essence which the spirit held in his very being.

Should he follow through with his idea, wouldn't he be hitting two birds with one stone?

He slid the satchel's strap over his head and onto his shoulder, grasp tight on the leather which pressed across his chest.

Key will find a way to capture the beauty of his latest discovery, he was certain of it, but for the moment, along with this pinching desire, another sense of longing had begun to weasel its way into his chest.

Maybe he couldn't describe it perfectly, but he felt a subtle need to talk with Jonghyun again, not just take a picture of him. No, it was as if he missed him － only slightly.

Everything was so strange lately.


	17. W-2, D-5 : 1

"Key, you're back!"

Kibum hadn't anticipated such excitement upon his arrival, but he couldn't deny the fact that it made him unreasonably happy when he saw something along the lines of a beaming grin, on the approaching spirit's face.

"Indeed I am," he theatrically replied, keeping himself hooded beneath his parka, as to shelter himself from the light drizzle which was falling from the looming clouds above.

Jonghyun giggled at his tone and finally joined him at his side.

"You took a while to visit again and I honestly got worried."

He casually said, as he amicably patted Key's shoulder and proceeded to walk back towards the narrow river they always sat by.

"I thought you had gotten tired of me already."

"I wouldn't, Jonghyun. Not in a million years, I'm sure."

The spirit beamed at the words of the male who set his rucksack against a tree's thick trunk, and moved to sit on a low stone abreast him.

The shorter's eyes portrayed nothing but trust and Key couldn't understand how such a being, who had certainly lived long enough to know of trickery and broken promises, was so quick to have faith in his words.

"How are things going, back in the city?"

Kibum smiled and set his chin into his left hand's palm, turning his gaze to meet Jonghyun's own eager one.

"Things are good, I guess. Work's doing okay and I'm being requested more, lately. Taemin still is a pain though, but no surprise there."

The spirit nodded in understanding and it was when he crossed his legs and placed his forearms upon his thighs, that Key noticed that he wore his sleeves past his finger tips, enough to have them as sweater paws.

_That's adorable._

"I'm glad to hear about your work doing well, but I don't think you've ever mentioned Taemin before," Jonghyun spoke up, cutting Kibum's thoughts before they could even continue.

"Is he your brother?"

"Hell no. He's just a long time best friend, who's a total pain in the ass."

Jonghyun appeared baffled by the phrasing of the sentence, lightly frowning as he briefly sat in silence.

"I can't tell if you like him or not," he eventually mumbled, fingers fiddling with a twig at his bare feet.

"If he's such a pain, why do you call him your best friend?"

Kibum found himself to be amused by the latter's confusion and let out a low chuckle.

"Let's say he's got a special place in my heart. I hate him but I love him, you know?"

"Oh. Humans are quite complicated."

"Huh, you can say that again."

There came a pause, during which Jonghyun shifted on the soil.

"Do you think that if I were to have lived so far amongst people, I would be able to understand you better?"

Kibum scrunched his nose at the question, unsure of how to take it.

"Well I don't know, but I'm glad you aren't like us. It's okay even if you don't understand."

Jonghyun held his stare for a few moments longer, dazed as his mind processed that which Kibum told him.

"Alright."

The drizzling had by then turned into a steady rain, gently hitting against Key's clothing until he realised his jeans had been soaked through, chilling his thin legs and dampening his once warm socks.

"I'm sorry you have to stay coming in such weather," Jonghyun apologised in a low voice, apparently having also noticed his friend's worsening state.

"You can always stay home when it's too bad. You're not like me, since you get wet and feel the cold. I'd rather you not get sick, Key."

Head turning back to his right, Kibum watched as Jonghyun averted his eyes, almost guilty in expression and sight cast upon the flowing river which was dotted with ripples caused by the constant war the raindrops raged against its surface.

"It's not your fault. I wanted to come, so don't worry," he assured, with a genuine smile.

Kibum knew he was being utterly honest when he said that he wanted to come because yes, he really did want to visit Jonghyun and stay as he was with him.

Some rain wouldn't be enough to stop his stubborn will.

"I'll bring an umbrella next time. It's fine."

For the first instance since they had become friends, Jonghyun seemed hesitant to accept the reply.

"Let me take a picture of you."

It was spontaneous and due to a mixture of Key suddenly remembering his plan, and him wanting to alleviate the awkward sensation which was forming, but he chirped the statement with no second thought.

The spirit looked up at the words a moment in delay, and was met with a camera lens, a soft flash appearing from the machine, prior to it fading and Kibum lowering the device to look at the result.

"You should have warned me," Jonghyun whined, bouncing in his seated position on the ground.

"I'm sure I came out odd in it now."

Key chuckled, unwilling to tell the other that he hardly showed at all in the first place, and instead playfully jutted out his tongue at him, shaking the camera tauntingly close, but just of Jonghyun's reach.

"I did warn you, you're simply too slow."


	18. W-2, D-5 : 2

The rain had died down whilst the two of them sat and conversed, Jonghyun being the one to pose most of the questions and Kibum answering without holding back.

Discussed topics ranged from Key's childhood, to funny stories which happened to the male when he had just moved out of his parents' home and begun working.

Jonghyun didn't divulge much about himself, evading inquiries Key made about his own past or his life, and smoothly changing the currant of their chatter, back onto the human.

Kibum hadn't realised how at peace he was nor how much time had passed, until the sky had become the closest shade to black, dusted with the shimmering lights of distant stars.

Even when he did recognise that it must have been late, he also recognised the feeling in his chest which told him to stay, to not leave Jonghyun's side.

Kibum tore his gaze from the sky and looked at the spirit who too seemed to be entranced by the infinite beauty of the separate galaxy above him, softly humming the tune to a song he had heard on the other's phone.

"I should leave."

Why? Why did he break the silence with his whispered words? Why did he utter such a thing which would separate him from the enchanting world of the forest and its protector?

Yes, he _should_ leave, but he didn't _want_ to.

"Ah, of course!" Jonghyun exclaimed, shuffling and pushing himself onto his feet.

"I'm sorry for keeping you so long," he apologised, dusting off his jeans and proceeding to outstretch a hand to Key.

Kibum momentarily froze, staring up at the offer from his position on the stone.

Had they ever properly touched one another yet?

Tentatively, he rose his own hand and clasped around Jonghyun's, and besides the startling difference in their temperature, another fact which Kibum hadn't expected was the texture of the other's flesh.

He was, for the most part, translucent and Key honestly still wondered if he were there at all, yet it felt as if he were a solid being with icy skin which was strangely, velvety smooth.

Jonghyun attempted to mask how uncomfortable the moment was by keeping up his smile, whilst Kibum kept staring at their united hands with pondering eyes, not moving from his seat.

"Key?" The spirit asked quietly.

_Whispy. A whispy voice. He's not human, Kibum. _

"You should really get a move on before it starts to rain again."

Kibum was aloof, slowly nodding his head and tugging himself up with the aid of Jonghyun's hand.

"Thanks," he mumbled, once he was done, and yet he didn't let go.

They remained facing one another, looking at one another, but it seemed Key was staring right through Jonghyun.

The spirit appeared bashful, the scarce patches of skin which weren't see-through, looking to be tinted pink.

He hesitantly pulled his hand away, cutting off the contact which had morphed into a heat in Key's palm.

"Would you like me to walk you back to the path out?"

Kibum shook his head.

No, he needed time alone. He needed to breathe. He needed to leave this magical world for if he stayed any longer he was almost certain he would be willing to spend the night.

"No, thanks. I'll manage on my own."

Jonghyun nodded and joined his hands at his lower back, prior to offering a luminous smile.

"Alright then, Key. Please get home safely and come back soon."

His words were hopeful and brought a smile to Key's own lips.

"Of course, don't worry. I －" Kibum paused. What was it that he wanted to say?

"I had a good time talking with you."

Jonghyun let out a sound akin to a giggle.

"Me too, so please don't take long to visit. I enjoy your presence."

The man nodded, feeling his head heavy and his eyes tired.

"Right. I'll go then."

And like that he turned his back on the other, on the whole magical universe he had come to discover by accident, and disappeared from Jonghyun's sight amongst the trees.

He was confused and felt his mind muddled, but something he knew for certain was that he didn't want to leave.


	19. W-2, D-5 : 3

His body felt as if it were a dozen kilos heavier than usual, concrete blocks tied around his ankles and forearms which weighed him down, but he couldn't understand the reason as to why they were there.

He hadn't had a particularly trifling day, and yet it felt as if he had run a marathon. Kibum struggled to make his muscles cooperate as he lugged himself up the staircase, soppy shoes squeaking.

Finally reaching the door to his shared apartment, he unlocked it and, luck not being on his side, found both Minho and Taemin slouched into the sofa cushions, only partially watching TV and chatting quietly.

"Oh, Kibum-ah, you're back," Minho abruptly acknowledged, sitting up and proceeding to lower the program's volume.

Key couldn't release anything other than a grunt as he took off his shoes and tossed them to the corner, amongst Taemin's own, then carding a hand through his hair and ruffling it with vigour.

Deciding to ignore the side looks his two friends kept sharing, the photographer walked towards the couch and set his bag down on the floor beside it, narrowing his eyes at the bright screen before him.

"You came back home pretty late, Key," Taemin commented, tone holding some sort of inquiry behind it.

"Yeah well, I was busy. Where's Jinki-hyung? I didn't know you and him could be apart for more than five seconds," he ended lightly, easily deflecting the attention off of himself, and directing the last comment at a now red-eared Minho.

"While we were hanging with the guys, he and Tae-yah ended up getting into a milk drinking competition that didn't go too well, so he's kind of at home, sick, and he refused to let me stay with him."

Key wanted to let out the largest sigh at the news, shaking his head and moving to sit himself upon the armrest of the sofa, abreast the tanned male who apparently decided to change channel.

"I'm gone for a couple hours and you manage to get up to so much stupid crap."

At this point, Taemin poked his head around Minho's shoulders, eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

"Hyung, you've been gone since four," he spoke slowly, voice travelling in its usual soft manner.

"You do realise it's nearly half past ten now, right? Which reminds me," Taemin pushed himself up and closer to the edge of the seat, as to see Kibum better whilst talking.

"I got a call from one of your work buddies who said they weren't managing to contact you, to discuss setting a date or something for a shoot, and I couldn't tell them where to find you because I didn't even know where you were. Which also reminds me, where were you?"

Kibum blinked, mind too hazy to properly catch every bit of the younger's spewed words, rubbing at the nape of his neck as he thought.

"I was with a friend."

Vague and they probably wouldn't even believe him, but he figured it was enough as he noticed Minho give a subtle shrug.

"More importantly, did they say it was urgent?"

Taemin seemed thrown at the question.

"Well, no."

"Good. I'll check it out tomorrow morning then. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

After the dryly uttered phrases, Kibum huffed as he stood from his position and picked up his bag, prior to simply walking away and towards his room.

"Isn't he a bit weird?" Taemin hushed out to Minho, when he had assured Key wouldn't hear them at such a volume.

"I thought he'd freak out a bit more over missing the call."

Minho let out a hum, clearly not perceiving the same oddity that clouded Kibum, which Taemin did.

"Maybe he really wanted the afternoon off from work?" He suggested, sinking back into the cushions once more, before he suddenly snapped upright and onto his feet.

"Let me call Jinki and see how he's doing," he messily mumbled, fishing his mobile out of his back pocket and already striding towards the front door, and into the public hallway.

Taemin exhaled with slight frustration.

Why didn't Minho notice that something was up with Key?

Kibum was definitely hiding something and Taemin had to find out what it was.


	20. how it went.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a rough outline of how the story was meant to go.

kibum often tries to capture jonghyun in a photograph but only parts of him would show. gradually, they both become dependant on the other and fall in love. kibum would bring things for jonghyun to see, showing him the tech of the world and leaving him impressed. he would gift him things, like rings and earrings ever since jonghyun showed interest in key's piercings and jewellery. first he brings him fake piercings and jonghyun is happy but he then wants to truly be like key, so kibum brings a needle, cotton and a disenfectant, and pierces his ears. jonghyun keeps asking key if he looks human, and eventually key asks why he would want to. "human's aren't all that great, jonghyun."

three men camping come across key talking to jjong and think he's mad. they talk badly about him loud enough for him to hear. kibum doesn't care but turns to jjong.   
"why didn't they see you?"   
"not everyone can."  
"you are real, right?"  
jonghyun looks sad.  
"yes, i am."

in the woods there's barely any signal and so kibum misses lots of work calls and ends up with less jobs. he keeps spending more time in the forest and taemin begins to worry.   
"you're not dating some werewolf, right? or is it a vampire? are you the new bella? or are you in a gang?"   
key laughs it off.

kibum becomes more cut off from the real world, and barely scraped by with his photographer jobs which had greatly decreased.

jonghyun doesn't tell key that he's only born in autumn, and dies with the start of winter, to be reborn at the end of the following spring, not remembering much of his past life.

with the end of autumn so ends their time together until the next year.

kibum kept visiting even if jonghyun had disappeared, and went back in autumn after a year. he finds jonghyun again. jonghyun remembers the camera. kibum asks him how they could be together, not wanting to be alone ever again. jonghyun starts to cry, shaking his head and refusing to tell him. kibum asks again, jonghyun points to the river.

"i have to go into the river?"

jonghyun shakes his head.

"then what?"

"you need to drown in it before autumn ends."

kibum doesn't think much about it, desperate to never have to part from jonghyun again and suffer as he had the past year. he wants to do it right away, but jonghyun stops him, telling him to think about it.

a few days later, kibum returns. he leaves his camera and so on on the grass. as he steps into the river and goes underwater, jonghyun embraces him, holding him down in a hug until he dies.

the epilogue, will be them watching a family camping, fondly admiring the kids as they sit alongside the river, holding hands beneath the autumn sun.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
